Feed-mixing attachment for feed-cutters



APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. l9lE.

Patented 0G1)- 12,1920.

a mvemtoz 2 SHEQTS-SHEET I.

0. C. FRlCK.

FEED MiXING ATTACHMENI FOR FEED CUTTERS.

APPLICATION nun MAY 29, ms.

1,355,137. Patented Oct. 12, 1920. r

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

,I'AW QFM UNITEl) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FAC'I'URING COMPANY, OF MANITOW CONSIN.

SMALLEY MANU- OC. WISCONSIN. A CORPORATION OF WIS- IFEED-MIXINGATTACHMENT FOR FEED-CUTTERS.

Application filed May 29.

To all whom it may concern lie it known that l ()umix'no C. Fmon, acitizen of the United States, residin at Manitowoc, county of Mauitowoc,and btate of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements inFeed-Mixing Attachments for Feed-Cutters, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in feed mixing attachments for feedcutters.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the chopped orcomminuted material delivered from a. feed cutter may be received in amixing trough and fed laterally and mixed with other materials in acontinuous operation. My invention contemplates the provision of amaehine in which meal, bran or other stock food may be fed into themixing trough simultaneously with the delivery of material thereto fromthe feed cutter, and a more specific object of my invention is toprovide efficient and inexpensive means, whereby the mixing operationmay be con trolled both as to rapidity of feed and as to the characterof the stirring effect to he secured by the mixing paddles.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a feed cutting and mixingapparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the mixing trough partlyin section.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the paddles.

Fig. 4 is a view of the same taken angles to Fig. 3.

Like parts are identified by the same ref erenee characters throughoutthe several views.

A is a feed cutter of ordinary construction. The rear end of the feedcutter table B is connected with a supporting frame B which carries a.mixing trough G. A square shaft (1' extends longitudinally through themixing trough and at one end is provided with a gear or sprocket wheelD, whereby the same may be actuated, preferably from the feed cuttershaft D, as shown in Fig. 1.

A set of mixing paddles E are mounted upon the shaft C. Each of thesepaddles has a screw threaded shank E, having threaded engagement in amounting F provided with a square opening F through at rightSpecification of Letters Patent.

. 1516. Serial No. 100,463.

which the shaft C may pass. It is of course not essential that the shaftshould be square in section, since any poly-sided shaft would serve thepurpose. The opening in the mounting will of course correspond to thecontour of the shaft.

By means of the mountings F, the addles may be adjusted upon the shaft(Q in any desired position. Each of these mountings serve as spacingmembers, and one or more of them may be provided with a looking setscrew G, but it is not essential'that these set screws should be used,particularly where the mountings F from one end of the trough C to theot er.

The mountings having poly-sided openings and being the shaft.

mountings until they engage the shaft and they may be utilized inconnection with spacing members e to hind the mountings to the sha it Cand also to lock the paddles at the desired angle. nuts ll alone wherethe type of paddle illustrated is employed.

To the type of paddles illustrated, the bladesare' eccentric to the axisof the shank, one side of the blade being wider than the other side. Inthe normal position of the paddles. the pressure of the mixture againstthe wider side of the blade is greater than that on the other portion ofthe blade and the excess pressure is exerted in such a manner as toforce the lock nut into rigid engagement with the mounting and in such aWanner that any tendency of the paddle to etate will tend to cause thescrew threaded shank to turn inwardly into tighter engagement with thesquare shaft, or with the lock nut H.

At the end of the trough most distant from the feed cutter. it isprovided with an outlet I through which the feed may be delivered to theendless conveyer J. whereby it may be transported to any suitable pointof delivery.

Patented 001;. 12, 1920.

fill the entire s ace fitted to a poly-sided shaft, it is obvious thatthey cannot rotate upon But owing to the fact that the shanks E of thepaddles are screw threaded,

But l preferably use the lock \Vith the above described construction, 1am able to adjust the paddles with the blades at any angle to the planeof rotation. 1 am also enabled to adjust some of the paddles at oneangle and some at another angle, whereby some of the paddles may feedthe material along the trough, other paddles may stir it withoutmaterial longitudinal feeding movement, and others, if desired, mayreverse the feeding movemenl and crowd the material toward. thereceiving end of the trough. I preferably arrange the paddles so thatthe initial paddles will clear the material away from the feed cutterrapidly and also away from the outlet of the hopper K, through whichother material, such as bran or meal, may be discharged into the outfeed. The next succeeding paddles may he ad iusted with the flatsuri'ares of their blades substantially at right angles to the plane ofrotation. 1'. w. in planes whirl] include the axis of the shaft,preferably one paddle is so adjusted. and the next one is adjusted tofeed the material longitudinally of the trough. Near the discharge endof the trough, one paddle may be adjusted to reverse the feedingmovement. The ad justment of the paddles, however. will. depend largelyupon the ehararter of the run-- terial to be mixed.

The above described eonstrurtion makes it possible to feed out stems ofhay, straw, or i-orn stalks with great uniformity into the mixing drumor cylinder, such materials. after having once been cut, being of al'lllllactor to render a feeding operation dili'ieult, since they Willnot pass readily through the throat of a hopper, but will tend to clogthe same. and any other means is also made diflicult from the fact thatthe stems are too short to be properly conveyed by means of feedingrollers, and too long and light in weight to be easily fed by any otherrotative feeding means. By combining the mixing apparatus with a feedcutter, the long stems may be conveniently handled and presented withsubstantial uniformity to the rotary cutting knives and the short stemsdelivered from the knives are thrown into the mixing cylinder in thebest possible position to receive ground feed. such as may he deliveredthrough the hopper K.

I claim- A mixing attachment including a trough adapted to receive feed,a shaft extending longitudinally in the trough, means for actuating; theshaft, a set of individually removable mountings, eaeh adapted to litthe shaft, each non-rotatable thereon and ear-h provided with a threadedsoi'liet, a set of mixing paddles havin threaded shanks mounted in saidsockets and extending to a greater extent on one side of the axisthereof than on the opposite side thereof. said paddles being adjustableat various angles, and having blades so arranged with reference to theaxes of their shanks. that the pressure of the material upon the widerside of the blade tends to rotate it in the mounting socket, and eaehshank being provided with means adapted to seat upon the mounting, andto be forced into bindingpressure engagement with it to hold the l; adiawins-1t rotation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the pressure of twowitnesses.

ORLANDO C. FRICK.

il' tnesses:

l'lnnA BRAUNEL, Jos. D. Gnmn.

